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Katja Tefiki – That's how she rolls

Acceptance without pity

24.08.2022

Katja Tefiki had to completely reorganize her everyday life after she became paraplegic. She got her driver's license and today her car and wheelchair are her indispensable companions. She loves long car rides and paragliding is also one of her passions. How she rolls otherwise, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
Photo: Katja Tefiki while paragliding; Copyright: Katja Tefiki
Name: Katja Tefiki
Age: 42
City: Bodenheim, Germany
Occupation: Administrative official
Impairment: Paraplegia

What makes a day a good day to you?

Katja Tefiki: When I can start my day without stress, with lots of fun and get everything done that I have planned for that day.

Which auxiliary means or daily living aids are indispensable for you?

Katja Tefiki: The wheelchair and the car.

What would you like to see from society and your fellow people in dealing with people with disabilities?

Katja Tefiki: That people accept you as you are and treat you without pity.

Which assistive device would urgently need to be invented and/or improved?

Katja Tefiki: Controlling the living environment with the eyes, driving a car with the joystick (and make it more affordable).

Gif animation: REHACARE 2023 from 13th to 16th September 2023 in Düsseldorf/Germany, linked to "More information about the Trade Fair"
Photo: Katja Tefiki trying out a handbike at REHACARE; Copyright: Katja Tefiki

Katja Tefiki has already been to REHACARE and was amazed by the technical developments. Another highlight for her was the assistance dog training.

What has been your biggest challenge so far that you have mastered – and what has helped you?

Katja Tefiki: To master my everyday life on my own after completely depending on a wheelchair, to get a driver's license and to live alone in my apartment.

What can the assistive technology industry learn from the Corona pandemic to make life easier and/or better for people with disabilities in the future?

Katja Tefiki: Why specifically from the Corona pandemic? The auxiliary means industry should always be striving to improve things, thereby always considering the needs of the customers!

If nothing was impossible: Who would you like to meet one day and why?

Katja Tefiki: Stephen William Hawking. How did he find motivation to keep going every day? What was his inner motivation?

What was your best REHACARE experience?

Katja Tefiki: To admire the assistance dog trainings. To marvel at the technical solutions/developments in general.

What I wanted to say ...

Katja Tefiki: I love to travel. My biggest adventure so far was paragliding in Austria. I also love long car rides.

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